B/R Official Rankings for September: The Top 10 Light Heayvweights in MMA

B/R Official Rankings for September: The Top 10 Light Heayvweights in MMA

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There was huge movement and news in the light heavyweight division this month.

There are two fighters moving up from middleweight and three top 10 fighters who fought. There would have been more, but unfortunately, UFC 151 was cancelled due to a knee injury from Dan Henderson, and Jon Jones refusal to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice.

Instead, Vitor Belfort will move up from middleweight to fight Jones at UFC 152 and make his return to the UFC light heavyweight division for the first time in seven years.

Let's take a look at where Belfort, Sonnen and the rest of the division sits after a crazy month.

Contributors

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These rankings are the combined efforts of some of Bleacher Report MMA's best writers, as we continue to try and provide you with the best content on the web. For the latest MMA news and freshest MMA opinions, follow them on Twitter:

No. 8: Chael Sonnen

The second new entry to the light heavyweight division is Chael Sonnen.

When this whole Jon Jones and UFC 151 fiasco started, Sonnen was very close to stepping in to fight Jones on eight days notice, but then Jones said no.

With all that in mind, it's easy to forget that Sonnen was already scheduled to fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 155 in a light heavyweight bout.

Maybe he'll get his shot at Jones eventually.

No. 7: Phil Davis

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Promotion: UFC

Record: 9-1 [1 NC]

Most Recent Fight: NC vs. Wagner Prado at UFC on Fox 4

Next Fight: Wagner Prado at UFC 153

Previous Ranking: 7

Phil Davis remains one of the hottest young prospects in MMA, but his progress was temporarily stunted after an unfortunate eye poke ended his fight against Wagner Prado.

Prior to that, Davis had lost a unanimous decision to Rashad Evans.

He will now have a rematch with Prado at UFC 153 and will look to regain his momentum towards the top of the light heavyweight division.

No. 6: Alexander Gustafsson

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Promotion: UFC

Record: 14-1

Most Recent Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Thiago Silva

Next Fight: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC on Fox 5

Previous Ranking: 6

Alexander Gustafsson, like Phil Davis, is one of the hottest prospects in the division.

Gustafsson's only loss came at the hands of Davis, but Gustafsson also has the more impressive victories overall, as he has beaten Thiago Silva, Vladimir Matyushenko and Matt Hamill.

Gustafsson gets his chance to—potentially—earn a title shot when he faces Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC on Fox 5.

No. 5: Mauricio Rua

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Promotion: UFC

Record: 21-6

Most Recent Fight: TKO victory over Brandon Vera at UFC on Fox 4

Next Fight: Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fox 5

Previous Ranking: 5

Originally, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was fighting Brandon Vera with a title shot on the line, but then Dana White changed his mind, and the title shot was open to any of the top four fighters on the card.

Lyoto Machida won most impressively, and he earned the shot, leaving Shogun to fight again before earning his title shot.